One person is feared dead following a road accident involving a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) bus and several trailers along the Bungoma-Malaba highway.
Preliminary reports indicate that several passengers were injured in the Monday, October 31 morning accident involving the bus operating under Royal Liner Express which was heading towards Malaba from the Bungoma direction.
It was reported that the accident happened when the bus ferrying passengers from Mombasa collided with a trailer along the busy highway.
In addition, preliminary reports indicated that five other trailers that were plying the route were also involved in the road accident following the initial collision.
Photos seen by The Kenya Times showed the almost overturned bus heavily damaged on one side, with first responders at the scene.
Other photos showed a rescue team at the scene which was quickly dispatched to the scene to help evacuate the victims trapped inside the wreckage following the accident.
Bus accident along Bungoma-Malaba highway
By the time of publishing, it was not clear how many occupants were in the bus during the incident and the extent of injuries they sustained.
Royal Liner Express while confirming the incident in a statement said the accident happened less than 5 kilometers from Malaba town.
The company said that the trailer lost its brakes and ended up ramming into the bus that was stationary.
Also Read: Death Reported as Trailer Carrying New Vehicles Overturns
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Notably, the Royal Liner bus accident is among road crashes which have been reported within the last three months that have left behind casualties and fatalities.
On October 18, one person was confirmed dead after a trailer transporting new vehicles overturned at a sharp bend in the Mai Mahiu escarpment along the Maai Mahiu-Limuru Road.
It is reported that the transit trailer experienced brake failure, causing it to veer off the road and overturn, landing in a ditch.
Several new vehicles that were being transported were scattered around the crash site, with some heavily damaged while others remained unscathed.
Accidents in 2024
The National Police Service (NPS) in data released earlier in September revealed that a total number of 3,369 people lost their lives in road accidents between January and September 16 this year.
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Of the total fatalities, 1,281 were pedestrians, followed by 825 motorcyclists, 654 passengers, and 281 drivers.
The data also revealed that a total of 16,979 people were affected by road accidents in the first nine months of 2024.
The figures mark a slight increase in road fatalities compared to the same period last year when 3,151 people died in traffic accidents.
NPS while revealing the figure expressed concern over the rising number of accidents and urged the public to adhere to traffic regulations to prevent further loss of life.
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